The development team at BC’s Hinterland Games is sending out a huge THANK YOU for the interest in their studio and its first game. They are over the moon that you’re as excited about The Long Dark as they are and recognize that they wouldn’t be here without you. The team has launched their official KickStarter campaign, and it’s off to a great start as the staff at KickStarter have chosen it as a Staff Pick. The KickStarter campaign runs until October 16th 2013, and is looking for a total contribution goal of $200 000.00. Check out the studio’s informational video over on the KickStarter page.

About The Long Dark:

Imagine the lights go out, never to return. Bright aurora flare across the sky, and all humanity’s technological might is laid to waste, neutralized in a kind of quiet apocalypse. Everything that has shielded humanity from the disinterested power of Mother Nature is suddenly wrenched from us, dropping us a few links down the food chain. Food and water are scarce. The roads are no longer safe. And winter approaches…

Welcome to The Long Dark, the inaugural title from Hinterland, a new independent game studio comprised of veteran developers from the triple-A game industry. Hinterland’s core team have collectively worked on over 40 triple-A games on console and PC, and are now turning their talents to creating an independent game—an immersive survival simulation for the PC.

Features:

Front Seat to the End of the World. Immersive first-person exploration gameplay featuring a stunning, original art style. Take on the role of bush pilot Will Mackenzie, and navigate the savage beauty of the Northern Wilderness while you face the hazards of the new “post-digital” frontier.

Survive By Your Wits Alone. Be on the lookout for potential supply caches, all the while using survival skills to overcome hazards introduced by harsh weather, wildlife, lack of food and water, other survivors, and the mysterious aurorae that add unpredictability to an already extreme situtation.

Survival of the Fittest. Deep survival simulation gameplay where every decision matters. Explore a large open world in search of resources, and balance Condition and Willpower against the needs of your daily survival.

Will You Be Saviour, or Survivor? Morally challenging scenarios that push players to answer the question: “How far will you go to survive?”. Any survivor you meet in the world can be friend or foe. Will you risk your life to discover what they know and selflessly sacrifice for the common good, or live—and potentially die—by the adage, “might makes right”?

Explore A Living World. Rich episodic fiction featuring dozens of locations, a cast of memorable characters, and a mature post-disaster storyline inspired by the creative risk-taking seen in many of today’s exciting television series. This isn’t the end of the world, but you can see it from here.

Master the Survival Sandbox. In addition to playing Mackenzie in Survival Story mode, experience potentially hundreds of hours of free-form Survival Sandbox gameplay. Push yourself and your skill to last as long as possible in a variety of survival scenarios.

What Industry Is Saying About The Long Dark:

“The Long Dark caught my eye with intriguing visuals and a great premise, and as a fan of survival open-world games, I’m eager to see what perspective Hinterland brings to the quiet apocalypse.” Chris Avellone, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Obsidian Entertainment, developers of Project Eternity, Fallout: New Vegas, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II

“I like the cool understatement of the title and premise, with the quiet authority of a classy novelist or filmmaker. That’s what’s wanted for an open-world narrative…not hyped neon signs pointing to the content, but an intriguing, mysterious, but immediately understandable world that I can explore, looking for meaning, choices, and self-expression. The art style has the same virtues… classy, thoughtful, expressive. This is the sort of experience I want to sit down at a table with, late on a winter’s night, with a cup of coffee, hoping only to have scratched the surface before dawn comes peeking through the frosted window.” Ken Rolston, Director of Game Design at Turbine, Lead Designer of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and over 30-year game design veteran.